Leaving Letters
by Nightlightiscoolbro
Summary: America's forced to leave. After writing a letter of salutation, Maxon convinces her to stay. But then the unthinkable happens: America is kidnapped by the co leader of the Southern Rebels! Along their journey to save each other and Illeá, Maxon and America make many new friends, including the intriguing T. DISCLAIMER: I do not, sadly, own the Selection trilogy. Yet!
1. Chapter 1: Torn

I was leaving.

Maxon and I had had a huge fight after I had suggested that there be no more castes. He got so worked up, he's decided to send me home.

Tears slid silently down my cheeks as I packed my few items. I would leave as soon as I was done.

Within minutes I was done. My things were packed into my scruffy backpack. Just as I was about to exit through the door, a thought occurred to me.

Maxon was having me leave out of a fit of anger. I was still leaving, nothing could change that, but he might want some way to know that I was sorry, that I wanted to say goodbye.

I pulled out a piece of royal stationery and a pen.

_Dear Maxon,_

_I'm so sorry for everything that's happened. I never, ever wanted to hurt you like that. Thank you so much for keeping me here with you for as long as you did. You're an absolutely amazing person, Maxon. I love you._

_Goodbye, Maxon.  
Love, America_

_P. S. The food was definitely one of the reasons I was staying, but so were you. The food was a close second, though._

I finished the letter, folded it, and placed it carefully on my bed. Taking one last glance around the room, I left the room.

MAXON

Our fight had me up in such a flurry, I had told her to go home.

America. I had told her, the girl I loved, to leave me forever. And she had no choice but to comply.

I tried not to think about it. But my mind was reeling. I had to find her, before she left.

I ran down the halls towards her room. I had memorized the path, and I found it easily.

The door was wide open, but she was no where to be seen. And, of course, there was no maid standing guard to tell me witch way she'd gone. I scoured her room, looking for a sign, anything, that would give me a hint as to where she was, a reason to run after her. The only thing I found was a note on her bed. It was addressed to me.

As I read the letter, tears welled up in my eyes. She was sorry, she loved me. I couldn't believe it.

After releasing so many other girls, I had become extremely familiar with the area in front of my house where the girls left the Selection. I ran to this area now, praying that America hadn't left yet.

AMERICA

I had just gotten into the car when I heard someone shouting behind us. The driver slowed to a stop and murmured under his breath something about a crazy person.

Suddenly, Maxon's face appeared in my window. I was startled, and slightly scared, so I slid away from the window. Nonetheless, Maxon opened the door and climbed inside.

"America, thank God you haven't left yet," he said. He reached out to hold my hand.

But I was scared and confused, so I pulled my hand back. "What do you mean? I thought you wanted me to leave."

"America, I was foolish, and I wasn't thinking, and... I'm just so sorry," his face carefully slid closer to mine as he said this. I felt a hand slip around my back and pull me closer to him.

"It isn't you who should be apologizing. It wasn't my place to talk about. I love you, Maxon, I'm so sorry." There, I had said it to his face. I could now leave with a clean conscience.

MAXON

Her words made my insides burn. I tried to close the gap between us, but she kept pushing away slightly, as if she were afraid.

"Stay, America, please. I want you to stay here in my arms."

"I'm not sure I can do that now, Your Highness," she whispered.

That made my heart jump. Now that I had technically sent her away, could she still stay? I didn't care what rules we ended up breaking, so long as she was with me.

"I'll do everything in my power to make you stay. Please, just, don't leave me," I told her.

She stopped pulling away, sitting stock still. I put my hand behind her head and pushed her face to mine. Kissing her tenderly, I peeked open my eyes. The driver of the car was staring wide-eyed at us, and America's were open, too. Her eyes quickly closed, though, and I could feel her tug me closer.

AMERICA

This was so strange. One minute he wanted me to leave forever, the next he was kissing me feverishly and telling me to stay forever.

I pulled away and said, "Are you sure you want me to stay, Maxon? It's not just a spur-of-the-moment thing?"

He stroked my hair and whispered, "I've never been more sure about something in my life."


	2. Chapter 2: Trapp

**HERE IS THE NEW SECTION THAT I TOTALLY WASN'T PREPARED TO HAVE. ENJOY.**

AMERICA

Even after all this, I still had some doubts.

"Maxon, what changed your mind? Why did you decide to come after me?"

We had left the car and were walking back to my room. Maxon dropped an arm over my shoulders and side-hugged me.

"I was already going after you. I checked your room first, though, and when you weren't there, I looked for anything that could point to you. And then, I found this letter."

He pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to me. It was the letter I had written him. The one as an explanation and goodbye.

Beyond my thoughts, Maxon continued his own explanation. "America, when I read this letter, my heart nearly broke in two. I was so devastated, I knew I just had to find you. I mean, I already knew, but I just..."

Hearing this, I was overcome with emotion. I placed an arm around Maxon's back, and he just squeezed me back.

We walked in silence until we reached my room.

"May I come in and help you unpack?" Maxon said.

I laughed and said, "Honestly, I don't have much to unpack, Maxon. If you remember. But, yes, you can come in."

We entered the room, to find that it had been ransacked. How much had happened in the... Hour? ... we had been gone?!

"America, get behind me." Maxon said. His back was facing the back wall, but I did not go to stand behind him.

"No. Whoever it is that did this, we'll face them together."

"Lady America Singer, it's nice to finally meet you. You look lovely this evening," said a dark voice from the closet.

Maxon grabbed my arm and tugged me closer to him. I didn't resist; I was frightened.

"What do you want? Who are you?" he said.

"Ah, that's the question, isn't it? I really can't tell you who I am, but I will tell you what I want. Otherwise, how would I get it?"

Despite everything, I was getting annoyed. "Would you get to the point, please?"

"Ooh, we've got a feisty one here, now don't we? Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll go ahead and tell you. I want your secrets."

"My secrets? I think you mean the palace's secrets, right?" I asked, trying to delay the man from the secrets.

He stepped from the shadows. His clothes weren't ragged like most rebels. They were clean, cut smoothly. His face was clean, shaven, and surprisingly handsome.

"Yes, you are correct. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stephen Trapp. I am the co-leader of the Southern Rebels," he said. His face blossomed into an evil smile.


	3. Chapter 3: Taken

**PART TWO OF THE SECTION YOU FORCED ME TO GIVE YOU. WOULD THE WORDS 'BON APPETITE' BE APPROPRIATE HERE?**

MAXON

Just when I won her back, just when I got her to love me again, something _happened._

"Alright then, you know my name, even though I wasn't even supposed to tell you in the first place, and I most certainly know yours. Now, onto the real reason I'm here. What do I want? I want the _reasons_. I want the _secrets_. And you'll give them to me. That is, if you want our dear America to live," Trapp said.

What he said crushed me. I brought America even closer, if that was possible. As long as she was in my arms, it felt as if nothing could happen to her.

"What would you do to me once you got me?" America said confidently.

Trapp walked towards America and _stroked her cheek _as he said, "We have our ways, us Southern Rebels. I don't know if you've noticed, but we tend to cause a little more damage when we visit. At least I hope so." Trapp turned to me. "Well, the secrets please? A room, a key, I don't care as long as it's the secrets."

I hugged onto America with all my might as I said, "No."

"I really didn't want to have to do this, Your Majesty, but-"

And then there was utter chaos. Two other, slightly shabbier men came up and ripped America from my arms. I tried to fight them, but they were gone in an instant, taking America with them.

"Maxon! MAXON, help, please!" I heard her shout from the hall. I ran to the door and tried with every muscle, every ounce of strength to get to her. But I couldn't, I just couldn't.

I was left alone in the room with Stephen Trapp. As I fumed and beat the door, desperate for it to open, he spoke to me words that I will never forget:

"If you do not comply with what I have asked of you, the only way you'll ever see her again is..." he laughed as he said this next part, which made me want to vomit, "either a body or a television screen. I promise, we'll keep in touch."

America, my dear America, would either be killed by rebels, or _beaten_ and killed _on national television. _That is, if I couldn't stop them first.

And I would.


	4. Chapter 4: T

**I GIVE UP WITH YOU GUYS**

AMERICA

"Hello, my dear. How are we this evening?" said the Rebel carrying me.

"What is it with you stupid Rebels? Why do you want me?" I answered, annoyed. After several minutes of continual struggle, I had given up to being as annoying as I could be.

"Hey! We're not stupid, I'll have you know! Not all of us anyway. But to answer you're second question, we chose you, my darling, because Prince Maxon has the most emotional attachment to you. And that means it will be much, much easier to get what we want."

"What is your name?" I asked. Hey, I needed a name to call him while I taunted him. And talked to the Royal Guards.

He seemed slightly surprised. "T Lang. Just the letter T. So call me T."

"Is there a story behind that?" I said, vaguely remembering Gavril and I's conversation about the peculiarity of my name.

"Maybe I'll tell you later. We're gonna have quite a bit of time to get to know each other."

We reached a remote hallway in the palace, one that I hadn't explored yet. T took me into a random room. It was decorated sparsely, with only a chair and another door.

T opened the door. He strode in with me still balanced on his shoulder. It wasn't any kind of closet, no, it was some kind of stairwell. Man, they had these everywhere.

"Am I allowed to know where we're going?" I said.

"Umm, no." T said.

I stayed still on his shoulder, resting my hand on my chin and my elbow on his back.

As the silence rested between us, my mind turned to Maxon. What had happened to him? I assumed that he hadn't been harmed, as the Rebels were still in need of the 'secrets'. Which I suppose meant the diaries. Back to Maxon. He would find me, right? After the conversation we had just had, it seemed that his affections still ran pretty deep.

T spoke up, "Alright, lass-"

"Lass? Where did that come from?" I said.

"Slips in from time to time. Alright, lass, we're here." He stopped, set me down, and searched around the air. He found what appeared to be a tiny stick and a bulbous glass container, ran the stick -a match- across the bottom of his boot, lit the lantern, and lifted it above his head.

What I saw surprised me. The room was neat, clean, and sparse. There was a bed, a sink, a toilet, and just about every other necessity.

But what else I saw surprised me more. T was... handsome. He didn't look anything like a typical Rebel. He had dark hair, a chiseled chin, and sparkling eyes. His lanky form was striking.

"You're not a Rebel, are you?" I said boldly.

"Who knows?" he winked at me.

"So, what exactly is my part here?" I said.

"Well, I'm afraid that if you and I don't escape quickly enough, the real Rebels will come and beat you."

"So... Two things: A.) Good, you aren't a Rebel. I like you too much for that to happen. B.) Beat me?! Well, I expected as much."

"So, I think we can spend one night here in safety. We're pretty well hidden under the castle, but we'll need to move at dawn."

We settled in to... Oh. This might a problem.

"There's, uh, only one bed."

"Yes, problem?" T said, smiling. He had a joking gleam in his eye.

"Huh, yeah, no. I know you see the issue. And, frankly, as a member of the Selection, we're not even going to think about that."

"Okay, judging by your appearance, you seem pretty tired, so I suppose you can sleep in the bed." T said, tiredly.

"You look like you need it much more than I do."

"How about a compromise? You can sleep with your head on the pillow, I can sleep the opposite direction."

"T, I don't know."

"Well, I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep. G'night," T said.


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble

T IS TOTALLY MY FAVE. BEST OC EVER. WAIT, WHAT DOES OC MEAN?

MAXON

My mind was distraught. What could I do?

"Trapp, give me America back!" I shouted.

He laughed as he began to walk back into America's closet. "Hah, I can't do that. That would defeat the whole purpose of taking her. And, also, I have no idea where she is."

This was the icing on the cake. "What do you mean you don't know where she is?!"

"One of my most trusted allies, T Lang, is keeping her company. You see, he will pretend like he is on her side, that he's not a real Rebel. But, in truth, he is not. If you want to know a secret, he is my fellow co-leader of the Southern Rebels. He's taking her on a little... journey, if you will, and I have no idea to where."

I was absolutely shocked. This man, this maggot, was manipulating the minds of the people I held dearest, namely America. It hurt my brain, spinning me in circles as strange people tried to destroy my life.

"Goodbye, Maxon. You have... Three days? Is that reasonable? Yes, three days. We'd prefer sooner. Every day you wait, something happens to Lady America. I anxiously await your compliance." He cackled and faded back into the closet. There must be a door back there.

I ran from the room. What had originally been a ploy to get my darling back had turned into a deadly game with the two most dangerous men in Illeá. I realized that sending her away like that turned out to be a good thing. If she had gone back to her room and not left, then she could have been taken without me knowing. It would have been on TV, or in a note or something. I shuddered at that thought.

I quickly found the Head of the Guards, Joseph Sterling, and ran up to him. Rushingly I told him all that had happened. He didn't seem surprised at all.

"Your Majesty? I honestly believe that you and I should consult with the King. We don't want to do anything rash," Sterling replied.

"Let's go. We've no time to lose." We ran and found my father in his study, quickly relayed the story, and came up with a plan.

We were going to attack the Southern Base.


	6. Chapter 6: Talk

**CONTINUING** **ON WITH A LITTLE MIX. T TIME, YO! I JUST WANNA EXPLAIN THE SITUATION WITH THIS GUY. DON'T HATE HIM-OR ME-JUST YET. ;)**

T

Oh, this was so weird.

She -America- was sleeping right next to me. We had gone with my idea, she sleeping with her head on the pillow, me sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed and at the foot of America.

I mean, it's just, so weird. We had settled down pretty quickly. It was obvious that she was very uncomfortable in the situation, so there was little talk. But I could sense she was still awake.

"Hey, Lady, are you gonna sleep?" I asked.

"Why are you called T?" she murmured.

This was a slightly touchy topic. Honestly, there were several reasons, but one stood out.

"My, uh, my best friend's name was Ted. Called him Teddy."

"Was named Ted. What... What happened?" she asked.

I coughed and said, "He was killed in Carolina."

She sat up suddenly and said, "That's awful. I'm so sorry. But he was killed in Carolina? When?"

"Couple months ago. In a raid." I answered quietly. Seriously, that is what happened. Sort of. I might be leaving out a few details, but... She didn't need to know that.

What really happened was that he and I, both undercover as double agents (Man, this was confusing. I believe in some of the Rebels principles, but I don't believe in their methods. Got it? I don't work for them, I'm working to take 'em down!), were about to prevent a raid. We were going to destroy a neighborhood (I think it was America's, actually) as 'an example to Illeá'. Teddy and I both agreed that Trapp was crazy.

Anyways, we were trying to prevent a raid. But something happened.

"David, Teddy, come here!" Trapp said. David is my real name, but I prefer T.

"Was'sup?" Teddy said.

"We've decided not to destroy that one neighborhood. What is it's name? Oh well. Anyways, we've decided to deploy you two to deploy an... explosive. Got it?"

Teddy glanced at me and said, "Sure."

And we did what we had to. We didn't let the bomb go off in a public area. We set it off in a remote field. But when we set it off, Teddy was severely injured. Fatally injured. I lost my best friend to that stupid, stupid bomb! And I didn't know what to do. The Southern Rebels were going to expect something on the news about this. What could I do?

When I got back to Base, Trapp was on me immediately. But I managed to come up with an excuse. As we were moving to the neighborhood, Teddy accidentally set off the bomb, killing himself as well. Trapp really didn't care, and it was pretty close to the truth, so he didn't dig any more.

"T? Are you really not a Rebel?" America's voice brought me back to the present.

"What? Oh, yeah, I promise you, I really am not a Rebel. I'm too good-looking for that."

She laughed and said, "Sure, you keep thinking that. So, I can trust you? Because if I found out that you lied to me, I will personally see you killed."

"Wow, slow your roll. I am not, leapt me repeat, not, a Rebel. I'm running an underground network to take down the Southern Rebels."

"Really?" she asked. She sounded more sleepy. Good. We had a big day tomorrow.

"Yep. They think that I'm the co-leader of the Southern Rebels. Anything you want done, I can get it done," I said.

She yawned and said, "T, will you get me back to Maxon?"

"Yes," I smiled, "of course I will."


	7. Chapter 7: Awkward Morning

**I'M JUST GONNA SAY THIS ONCE: I SWEAR, NEARLY ANYONE WHO HAS EVEN REMOTELY HEARD OF THE SELECTION IS TEAM MAXON. BUT THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. AT ALL. *EVIL SMILEY FACE***

AMERICA

I awoke with a yawn. My eyes, blurry from sleep, opened to see a stark-white room. And a handsome boy getting dressed.

"Mind warning me before you decide to strip?" I said, sitting up.

T laughed and said, "Strip. Good choice of words."

I gave him a look that said, "You have issues that need to be dealt with," but he just laughed more.

"So what's our game plan?" I said.

"We're leaving to hide in a bunker somewhere in Droatia. **(A/N OP- ORIGINAL PROVINCE(?)) **As soon as you're ready, we better get going."

This struck me as strange. I have no idea why, though. It was perfectly sensible if I was to remain safe for the time being. And Droatia was right next to Angeles.

"Do you have anything I can change into? You know, it's not very easy to escape in a full-length dress."

"You'll be happy to know that I thought of that. Actually, no, I didn't think of it. Whoever stocked this room did." T pulled open the drawer of the vanity next to the bed and tossed me a pair of jeans and a dark blue, short-sleeved T-shirt.

Hah, _T_-shirt.

He stared at me with a cheeky grin as I picked them up.

I smirked. "Sorry, you, Mr. Lang, must turn around."

"You realize that there's a mirror back there, right? I would see _everything_."

I swatted his shoulder. "Close your eyes, turn around, I will smack you."

He laughed, squeezed his eyes shut, and turned around.

I managed to change into the clothes without T messing with me. The clothes were snug on me, fitting like someone knew it would be me, and me alone, who would end up using them.

"Okay, you can turn around."

T spun around to face me, looked me up and down, and whistled.

I smacked his arm.

"Hey, you said you wouldn't!" he said, fake pouting.

"I said no such thing." I smiled. T could be funny, apparently.

"Alright, are you ready?"

I nodded.

"Then let's head out." He went over to the mirror he had previously threatened me with and flipped it over. Whoop de do. Another staircase.

T grabbed my hand and led me to them.

"This will be much easier not having to carry you," he said.

I was just about to say, "More stairs?" when a thought popped into my head.

Maxon. Letters. Explanation. Crap.

"T, I just remembered something. Do you have any paper?"

"Letter for your boyfriend? Thought so. Yep," he dug around in his jeans pocket and pulled out some paper and a pen, "Here you are."

"Thanks, T."

And, once again, I wrote a letter explaining my absence.


	8. Chapter 8: Tanking

**I SUPPOSE YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM MAXON. AND, AS AN AUTHOR, I MUST KEEP YOU HAPPY. SIGH. ALRIGHT. BUT I WANT TO MAKE IT DRAMATIC.**

**AND JUST SO YOU KNOW I'M WEARING A ****_T_****-SHIRT. GET IT?**

MAXON

Whoop dee frickin' doo.

Planes used to excite me. But now, seeing as their purpose was to rescue a person who never should be put in harm's way, I was utterly depressed.

Sterling, Father, and I. Plus maybe a few dozen other guards, all on our merry way to attack the Southern Base and hopefully get America back.

Gah, why did they have to take her in the first place?! I hate this so, so much. They could have taken just about anyone, including (and especially) my father, and I wouldn't have reacted half as emotionally as I did.

You know, if I had to pick who they would have taken, I would definitely have chosen my father. My mean, abusive father. Or Celeste. Man, I hate that girl.

Wait, what am I thinking? I don't want anyone to be hurt the way America... I feel myself choking on vomit as I think of what might happen to her.

T Lang. So many questions. First of which, which side of his face to rip off first? Second, what kind of name is T?

"Sir," an officer near the front of the plane whose name I cannot remember said, "we're almost there."

"The Base? Really? Already?" I said. Wow. Time flies fast when you're plotting the death of T Lang.

"Directly in front of us, Your Highness."

As I looked ahead to see the Base, I told the officer, "Please, call me Maxon."

I heard his smile as he said, "My name's Kenai. Kenai Igern."

"Is that it, Kenai?" I said pointing at a pentagonal shape.

"Yes," he breathed.

It was a beaten up, crumbling building in the shape of a pentagon. I think it was once called (really creative name here) the Pentagon. After many, many years of war, takeover, and turmoil, it was brown, broken, and exposed. I mean, really. You could see the support beams and some of the electrical wiring. That couldn't be safe.

"Where are we going to land, Kenai?"

"Over in that field. Are you ready, Sir? We're preparing to drop the landing gear," Kenai told me.

"Maxon, and yes, I'm prepared."

I've actually been trained in all things avian. And naval. Calvary, infantry, all things military. My whole life is tutor after teacher after test. Learning and applying. I can easily fly a plane, but they -meaning my father- wouldn't let me.

Kenai flipped a couple of switches on the roof of the cock-pit and said, "Dropping landing gear. Preparing to land."

We were dropping towards the field, I could feel it. As Kenai went through the landing procedure, I felt a cold feeling seep into my stomach.

Just as the ice turned in my stomach, the plane jolted.

"Oh no," Kenai murmured.

There was another jolt and a loud screeching sound. Ripping metal?

Crap. We're going down.

"Kenai, what's happening?" As if I didn't already know.

"We've bed hit! We're going to have to crash land!"

"Let me help!" Not waiting for an answer, I unbuckled myself and climbed into the cockpit.

Kenai and I flipped switches and read gauges, doing whatever in our power to control the rapid descent of the plane.

Finally, it got to the point where Kenai shouted, "Everyone, grab parachutes! We're still high enough that you'll be safe! Jump for it!"

All the other people in the plane, all the officers, the leaders, the father, didn't question this. They grabbed their parachutes, opened the hatch, and jumped. My father didn't even give me a second glance.

Thanks, Dad.

"Your Hig- Maxon, you should go. I'm just an officer, I'll pilot the ship to the ground. You need to go save your girl. Plus,you're the prince. Go. I'll manage."

I didn't budge. "With every due honor, I am not leaving."

The ground was less than ten feet from us now. It was coming.

As we reached the five foot mark, Kenai shouted, "BRACE YOURSELF!"

**HELLO MY BEAUTIMISTIC READERS! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I HOPE YOU'VE BEEN ENJOYING MY STORY SO FAR! I WILL SAY THAT THIS WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE A ONE-SHOT, BUT YOU INSISTED. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT, BECAUSE I AM HONESTLY ENJOYING THIS.**

**BACK TO THE STORY, WILL AMERICA AND T ESCAPE? WILL MAXON AND KENAI SURVIVE? WHO WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH WHO?**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME, MY BEAUTIMISTIC-YS.**


	9. Chapter 9: Tragic

**LAST CHAPTER.**

**DUT DUT DUH, THEY'RE DEAD. YES, HTTYD REFERENCE, LOVE!**

**YOU GUYS KEEP SAYING THAT MAXON WON'T DIE... HMM... MY JOB IS TO KEEP YOU ON YOUR TOES SO...**

**GOODBYE, MAXON.**

MAXON. AGAIN.

"BRACE YOURSELF!" I heard Kenai shout.

So I guess I complied. There wasn't much I could do to protect myself. Only things to prolong the end.

Honestly, I felt completely calm. Like something, someone, wasn't going to let me die.

The world I was in was going in slow motion. Have you ever experimented with slow motion? It's quite fun.

Just then, Kenai grabbed my arm and pulled me to the hatch I the plane where everyone else had jumped.

"Maxon, this plane is going to blow no matter what we do. Jump!"

"One," I grabbed Kenai's arm, "two," we prepped to jump, "three!"

We leaped.

As we jumped, I could feel the heat of a large, deep fire behind me. Have you ever seen How To Train Your Dragon? It was one of the few movies that had been saved from long, long ago. I saw it once, secretly. If you can believe that. Anyways, you remember the scene towards the end? The one where Hiccup and Toothless almost get burned to a crisp? That's what this felt like.

We hit the ground with cracks and snaps and thuds. The plane hit with a simple BOOM!

I covered Kenai with myself as the plane behind us finally exploded. Little and huge bits of shrapnel flew at us, a small piece lodging itself in my shoe. Not my foot, my shoe. Lucky duck, me.

But then a piece no bigger hit me -and stuck- in my shoulder.

I cried out in agony. Pain bit my left shoulder and spread down my back and arm. It must have hit something important.

Kenai saw my pain and carefully rolled me over. The plane had settled into the ground and was now casually burning.

"Sir, Maxon, are you okay?"

"My shoulder... Kenai, are you alright?" His sleeve was torn, as were his pants. Blood was seeping in from somewhere on his forehead.

"I'm more concerned with you. Okay, I see what you mean by your shoulder." I felt his hands position around my wound. Crap. I know where this is going. "Hold still."

I didn't feel any pain at first. It was pleasant. But then my body realized what had happened. With the absence of the metal, I could easily bleed, and there was an amazing amount of pain.

But I did not scream. I simply felt woozy.

"Maxon, I don't think it was fatal. But you are definitely going to need medical attention. Like now, or it really could be."

Oooh. This could be an issue. Our medical personnel were some of the first to jump.

"Kenai, let's just not worry about it. Remove my shoe, and we can... Find shelter, or the others." We were in no condition to fight the Rebels.

"Are you-"

"Yes. Now help me up."

Carefully, we managed to get up. As we did so, the world spun in octagons and did backflips.

After walking away from the Pentagon for quite some time, we finally found a clearing in a hidden forest.

When I say 'hidden forest', I mean hidden.

With a mass of crumbled buildings and rivers creating an almost mountain-like landscape, the forest was perfectly hidden.

There was a rock in our clearing that would be big enough to lay on top of comfortably. I lay down on this rock.

I could feel the life seep out of me.

**OKAY, I LIED. WE HAVE LIKE TEN MORE CHAPS TO GO.**

**I WILL SAY THAT I WAS LISTENING TO "RADIOACTIVE" BY IMAGINE DRAGONS FOR PART OF THIS, SO THAT MAY BE ONE REASON FOR THE EXPLOSIONS.**

**DON'T HATE ME. IT HAD TO BE DONE.**

**AU REVOIR, BEAUTIMISTIC-YS.**


	10. Chapter 10: Television

**WELCOME TO CHAPTER TEN OF "LEAVING LETTERS" LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. ARE YOU READY TO RRRRREEEEEEAAAAADDDDD?!**

**WE'VE GOT ACTION, ROMANCE, HUMOR, AND MORE!**

**POSSIBLY.**

AMERICA

Once I finished my letter, I had a thought.

In a way, I was thinking of us as two loose ends. I automatically assumed that he would come to this exact room just to find me, namely my letter. But things could have happened to him. **(A/N OH, HONEY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.) **The Rebels could have gotten him, he could be out elsewhere trying to find me. Or he could have written me off and gone back to the other girls, choosing to believe I was dead.

No, he loves me. He said so. There was no way in the world that he would just leave me like that.

It's just, he's probably out somewhere and not coming to this room.

"T, do you-"

"Yep, I gotta place to put the letter where your sweetheart will find it," T said. Woah. He's good.

"T, what's your problem?"

He sighed. "Let's go, please?"

I tucked the letter into my jeans pocket and went back over to the mirror. T grabbed my hand and tugged me onto the stairs.

We went up, down, all around, until finally I saw a pinprick of light at the top of the stairs.

"Come on, T, let's go!" I shouted, laughing and pulling him along with me.

He laughed, too, and said, "Calm down, calm down! We need to be careful!"

I stopped running. "What?"

"The Rebels could still be waiting for you. They may trust me, but still. I don't want you to get hurt."

Woah now. What? But then he added, "If you get hurt, your boyfriend will have me murdered. If you die... I don't even want to think about that."

I started walking again. Nudging his arm, I joked, "Aww, come on. You know you don't want me to die. I'm just too adorable."

"Uh, I don't know about that, America. Sure, you're good company, but adorable? You need to back up a few steps."

"Shut up, Drew!"

"Who's Drew?" he asked. Darn it. I've been trying to figure out his real name. I guess it's not Drew.

"I'm just trying to figure out your real name, T."

He laughed a small laugh and said, "David. But, please, call me T."

"David?" I said. I actually really like that name. It suited him, too.

"T. Okay, wait here." T went out the door, taking my letter with him. He disappeared around the corner, then reappeared. He gave me a thumbs-up sign.

And so we walked. And walked. And walked. Witty banter was exchanged, more than one sexual comment remarked, all in all, it was uneventful.

Until we got to Droatia.

Droatia is a very beautiful province, very nature-based. There were hardly any sorts of electronics, televisions, etc. Everything was calm, clean, and peaceful. Mountains, forests, rivers. Very pretty.

But we managed to find the one television in the entire province (it's a fairly small province) that was broadcasting.

"I spy with my little eye... A television! Yes! We can see what's going on!" I dragged T towards the TV that was behind the display case.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you some urgent news," the TV newscaster said, "We have recently gotten news that Prince Maxon was killed in an attempted attack on the Southern Base."

I didn't hear anything after that. There was a giant ringing in my ears. At first I was calm, thinking, "Ooh, so that's what he's been doing."

I think T sensed that I was about to implode, and then explode, and then implode again, so he dragged me away from the TV screen. We found an empty field, one that they apparently did meditation in. That is when I broke.

"Dead?" I sobbed. T and I were sitting on the ground surrounded by tall grass. He had wrapped his arms around my shoulders and was rubbing my back. "He can't - he can't be gone."

As I blubbered, T soothingly whispered, "Shh, shh, it's okay. Everything's okay."

But it was most definitely not okay. Maxon... My dear, my Maxon... Never again? No more kisses, no more cuddles, no more unbelievably romantic words.

"T, what - what did I do wrong?" His grip on me tightened. "Why did he have to die?"

"America, you had absolutely no part in his death. If he's even dead. He could still be alive. But if he isn't, I am so, so sorry. I know you love him, and I am absolutely certain that he loved you with every fiber in his being."

We sat there, with me sniveling, and T rocking me back and forth while attempting to calm me down.


	11. Chapter 11: Terrible Nightmares

**WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO? MAXON DEAD, AMERICA BROKEN, T BEING T, ASPEN UNACCOUNTED FOR...**

**NOT MANY OPTIONS HUH?**

**ACTUALLY, ONLY ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS TRUE. HMM...**

T

Poor, poor girl. So deeply in love. Maxon just had to die, didn't he? I don't like seeing her like this; she's my friend, almost like Teddy.

I was rocking her in my arms, whispering things like, "He loved you very much, no doubt about it."

And that, I was absolutely sure of.

I, just like everyone else, had seen the Report. I saw the Selection process just like every other citizen of Illeá. There was no question about the relationship between America and the Prince. The closeness of their bodies, the honest-to-God love and happiness in their eyes, the easiness of their smiles.

I knew that Maxon was irretrievably in love with her, that was easy to see, and I now know that she is hopelessly in love with him as well.

"You won't leave me, will you T?" she murmured at some point.

I was slightly taken aback. But I answered, "America, as long as you need me, I won't ever leave you."

"Thanks, T."

AMERICA

After maybe two hours, T finally got me to calm down.

"So where is this 'bunker' you were speaking about?" I said, standing up. Cold now that his arms were gone, I hooked my arm through his.

He cleared his throat and began walking us over to a tree near the edge of our field. "Already there."

T rubbed on the base of the tree and out popped a panel of bark. "Ladies first." He held out his other arm towards the hole in the tree.

"Such a gentleman. Are there more stairs?" I said, trying and failing to steady my voice.

"Of course. If you don't feel like walking, I could carry you again." he replied.

"Not the way you carried me, right? Anything but that."

"As you wish." He came over and scooped my exhausted body into his arms, carrying me bridal style.

I was amazingly tired as a result of a day's worth of walking and my explosion over Maxon, so I snuggled close to T and fell asleep.

T

She quickly fell asleep in my arms. She looked so adorable.

Wait, what? Seriously, brain? She just freakin' had a mental breakdown because her boyfriend died, and I'm calling her adorable? What is wrong with me?!

Careful not to hit her head and wake her up, I went down the stairs into the bunker I had made.

Yep, I made this bunker. Before I was a double agent, I was a kid. My father took my mother and I all over the country (not a small feat) building all sorts of random things. One day, in Droatia, not very long ago, my father was trying to get me into the business. He assigned me the task of building a bunker. And here we are.

I had never thought that I myself would use it. Let alone me and a girl.

There's a bed, just one, like the last place, a toilet, a sink, the typical stuff.

I set America down on the bed and tucked her into the covers. Brushing the hair out of her eyes, I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Everything will be okay. I promise."

Then a voice - her voice - said, "Thanks, T."

Well, uh, this is awkward. Hoping to lighten the situation, I said, "Well, if you're awake, you might as well scoot over."

It was a long day, can you blame me?

She moved over, so I laid down right beside her. I could feel her come a little closer, snuggling into me. I wrapped my arms around her waist.

She fell asleep again, leaving me with my arms around her and my thoughts buzzing in my head.

I honestly didn't think that Maxon was dead. Not without finding America first.

AMERICA

I felt much better with T's surprisingly strong arms around me, so I fell asleep nestled up next to him.

My Wonderland was worse than Illeà.

I was dressed to perfection. A long, silky, red, and sleeveless gown hung off me perfectly. My makeup was near non-existent, but flawless, nonetheless. My songbird necklace hanging delicately, tiny earrings pinned to my ears. The most striking, though, was a tiny string of jewels in the shape of a tiara dotting my hair.

I was staring at the mirror. But then, in an instant, the reflection wasn't me. It was a white suit coat with colorful medals dangling from the shoulders. White pants, black shoes, smiling face.

Maxon. As my reflection.

I put my hand up to the glass, as did Maxon.

"Maxon, where are you?" I said.

"Can you see me?" he asked.

"Yes. But, please, come here."

He gave me a sad look and said, "I wish I could, darling."

"But you can't be dead! Not really!" I said.

"America, stop. As long as you love me, I'm never truly dead. A piece of me will always live in your heart. I will live through you."

"But what about me?! What am I supposed to do without you?"

"Let me just say this. I love you. Too much to ever let that change. A love like ours, it can withstand anything, even death."

I tried fling myself into his arms, but all I did was knock over the mirror. It shattered, the little pieces of mirror flying across the floor. I was cut in several places, but I didn't care. I tried to find Maxon in the pieces of mirror again, but he was gone.

I curled up into a ball on the floor, crying, rocking back and forth.

And then I woke up.

**(A/N I WAS LISTENING TO "MIRRORS" BY JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE WHEN I GOT THE IDEA FOR HER DREAM. FAIL.)**

T

She woke me up with her screaming.

She bolted straight up, ripping my arms away with her force. She was crying, sobbing into her hands. I sat up with her and slowly moved my arms to where they were giving her a strong, reassuring hug. She flung her arms around me and squeezed the breath out of me.

"Shh, calm down, Lady, calm down. What's wrong?" I said. I wanted to say, "Shh," one more time, but her despairing voice interrupted me.

"In- in my dr- dream-" Sounds more like a nightmare, really. "-Maxon was back, and- and he sa- said th- hat he lov- loved m- me, but then he- he went away. I ki- killed him!"

Woah. That didn't sound good at all. I tried to comfort her. "America- wait a sec, is there an easier name I can call you? One with one syllable?"

"Mer," she choked out.

"Mer, you didn't kill him. Just think of all the good things. He loves you, that's a start. Close your eyes, imagine I'm Maxon."

We leaned back, settling into the pillows once more. She closed her eyes and stopped sniveling. She was breathing deeply. I could only assume that she was taking my advice.

"Maxon, you idiot, go to sleep. Don't leave me, no. Pull me closer, make me feel safe and loved, and we can both sleep peacefully."

I hesitated. Was she talking to me, David Lang, or was she talking to Maxon?

"Well," she pressed, "go on."

And so I followed her instructions. I did not leave. I pulled her closer. I put as much platonic love and safety into my hug as possible. I slept.

**OKAY, LET ME CLEAR SOME THINGS UP:**

**1.) WHEW! THAT TOOK FOREVER!**

**2.) OH MY FRICKIN' GOODNESS, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. I'VE GOT SOME TRICKS UP MY SLEEVE...**

**3.) T AND AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP IS PURELY PLATONIC. I MEAN, T DOES HAVE SOME FEELS FOR HER, BUT THAT'S AS FAR AS IT GOES. PROBABLY.**

**4.) HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHICH ONES ARE NOT TRUE?**


	12. Chapter 12: They Meet, In a Way

**MEH, I DON'T WANT TO WRITE. ME TIRED. BUT I HEARD YOU GUYS ARE ENJOYING THAT I POST SO FREQUENTLY. SO I GUESS I'LL COMPLY. BUT IT'LL BE SHORT.**

**DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM MA- OH NO! I NEARLY GAVE IT AWAY! PERHAPS KENAI?**

**BUT, IN THE INTEREST OF SUSPENSE, I MUST CONTINUE WITH AMERICA AND T'S PART OF "LEAVING LETTERS."**

**SORRY.**

AMERICA

I had more dreams and nightmares that night.

Nightmares where Maxon, Aspen, Marlee, T, all my family and friends, were killed or harmed, usually as a result of my actions.

Dreams where Maxon held me close, I had picnics with my family, Marlee and T made me laugh until I snorted, etc.

But I didn't wake up once. I certainly wanted to wake up at the nightmares. However, I didn't. Perhaps it was the combination of exhaustion, grief, and the fact that my sub-conscience recognized T's arms around me, but I stayed sound asleep.

The dreams were definitely pleasant, though.

One in particular stuck out to me. It was one involving Maxon and T.

We were outside, Maxon and I, sitting beneath a tree and guessing what the clouds looked like. The tree we were sitting under was surrounded by green rolling hills, with an absolutely perfect blue sky. There were big, fluffy clouds adorning the blue, and a bright white light radiating from the sun tucked comfortably in the leaves of our tree.

"Hey, Mer!" a voice said. I turned to see T running across the hills with his hand in the air in greeting. A big smile was plastered on his face.

"T! Come join us!" I said.

Once he reached us, he gave me a hug and turned towards Maxon. "So this is the famous Maxon. It's good to finally meet you!"

Maxon smiled warmly, held out his hand to shake, and said, "T! It's a pleasure to meet you."

And that's about where the dream ends.

**HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, LOVELIES!**


	13. Chapter 13: Travel

**ALRIGHT, NO MORE OF THIS. AMERICA IS STILL GONNA GRIEVE, BUT I AM NOT GOING TO MAKE IT LIKE I HAVE. IT'S GETTING THE STORY NOWHERE.**

**HERE COMES THE GOOD PART.**

AMERICA

A few days later, nothing too new. Wake up, sneak out to eat, grieve, laugh, eat, check out the Report, grieve some more, laugh some more, eat, sleep. And, of course, dream.

"T, when can we leave?" I asked about a week after our arrival in Droatia. It's not a terrible place, but utter calm can get pretty boring when it's the same like it is with me.

"Today. Get ready."

"How long ago could we have left? Or was it really just today?"

"I decided that we would leave when things cleared up. Once that happened, I decided we'd leave when you were ready. Seeing as how you asked if we could leave, you're ready."

As soon as we were ready, we were off. But before we could take the back roads like we had before, we passed through a town called Orsay. The same town with the TV that ruined my life.

Amazingly enough, we passed that same TV. Same station, same news reporter, same depression. New words.

"We have just received some very important news. It seems as though there was a successful attack on the Southern Rebel base, killing around seventy-two Rebels. Sources say that this number is approximately half of the Rebel force. Damage was done to the building itself, but we were not able to receive footage of this."

I didn't truthfully know how to react. On one hand, I could celebrate. The stupid Rebels who had tried to kidnap me were getting a butt-whooping, hooray! On another hand, I could grieve. So many souls lost, and in a twisted way, Maxon among them. And on a freakish third hand, I could do a demented version of those two.

But I chose instead the often-forgotten left leg. I ignored it.

"Where exactly are we going? Are we going back to the palace?" I asked. We started walking down the dirt road again.

"Yes, we are. Scratch that, you are. I'm dropping you off."

I was slightly taken aback. "Where will you go?"

"Not really sure. Wherever I'm needed, I guess."

To keep a healthy conversation going, I decided to go down a path not yet explored. "Tell me all about yourself, David."

"Only if you promise to call me T."

I smirked and said, "Deal."

"My full name is David Jared Lang, though my friends and enemies call me T. I was born in Canada. My parents moved me to Ileá and all over the country with my father's business building things. I know almost anything about literature or science, but things fly completely over my head when it comes to mathematics, and I'm nearly hopeless at history.

"I have very attractive hands, my favorite food is chicken-n-dumplings, and I am tired of this conversation," he said as we turned down a corner on the road.

I took one of his hands and carefully examined it. Putting out my lower lip and tilting my head, I said, "Not bad, actually. Very nice fingers."

He laughed and pulled back his hand. "Aye, I suppose that's why I mentioned them."

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Did you forget to mention something about heritage? That dialect keeps slipping in."

"Mother's from Scotland. Been on a few visits."

"What's it like?" I said dreamily.

"You'll have to go there one day."

I could nearly hear what he wanted to say: "Shouldn't be too hard once you're queen." But he didn't say that. We both knew it wasn't true. Not with Maxon gone...

After that, the same things that happened on our journey here happened, but with a little more sadness from my end.

Once we finally reached the palace, I gave a slight gasp.

**YEP**.


	14. Chapter 14: Time at the Palace

**A LITTLE BIRDIE- ACTUALLY, SCRATCH THAT, IT WAS MY DOG JACK- TOLD ME THAT YOU**

**A.) LIKE THAT I POST SO FREQUENTLY**

**B.) THINK I DESERVE THE, "YOU HAVE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH" FACE**

**C.) LIKE TO CHOOSE THE OFTEN-FORGOTTEN LEFT LEG AS WELL**

**D.) CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I "KILLED OFF MAXON." (FOR THE RECORD, YOUR WORDS, NOT MINE, ALTHOUGH I WAS THINKING THEM.)**

**E.) BOTH A.) AND D.) ESPECIALLY D.**

AMERICA

It was in shambles. Not entirely, no, one side of it. The side with my room on it.

One half was completely untouched. Perfect, pristine, and all-around luxurious. The other side, that is a different story.

There were fallen columns laying smashed upon the ground. Where those columns had supported the roof, the palace had tumbled, revealing broken support beams, torn insulation, sparking electrical wiring, and dust.

I grabbed T's hand for support, and we walked in through a hole in the wall.

The inside of the destroyed part was just like the out: ransacked, ruined, and utterly dangerous.

"What are we supposed to do, T?"

"I don't know; you're the one who knows her way around this dump."

"It's not usually a dump. Maybe we can go find Silvia."

"That's the only plan we got, so let's go for it," he said.  
We walked down the halls, looking for Silvia. There was a lot of repairmen fixing what the Rebels had broken. Maids bustled about busily, but paid us no mind, as we didn't exist and I had not just returned from being supposedly kidnapped or murdered.

After going through a long maze of halls (of which T complained quite loudly), we found a familiar doorway. It was the doorway to the Women's Room.

This place was untouched. Nothing changed. I guess the Rebels- the men anyway- had the tiniest bit of class not to go into a place reserved for women.

"Silvia? Are you in here?"

Behind me, I hear a gasp. I turn around and my eyes widen.

**I KNOW THIS WAS SHORT, I'M SORRY, BUT YOU ARE JUST GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.**

**IF YOU GUESSED B.) FOR THE QUIZ ABOVE, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY...**

**INCORRECT. THE ANSWER'S E.), ****_DUMMKOPH_****.**

**I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED THIS STORY SO FAR. WE'RE GETTING PRETTY CLOSE TO THE END, AND I'M SAD TO SEE THIS GO. BUT, HEY, YOU'LL FINALLY KNOW FOR SURE WHETHER OR NOT MAXON IS DEAD.**

**OH, AND ****_DUMMKOPH_**** IS GERMAN (CLANKER, FOR MY LEVIA-HOMIES) FOR IDIOT.**


	15. Chapter 15: The Big Reveal

**THE BIG REVEAL. I WON'T DELAY YOU ANY FURTHER.**

**HEY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I HAD FOR LUNCH TODAY?**

**CHOCOVIAN: GET ON WITH THE STORY!**

**OH, YEAH. SORRY.**

AMERICA

He ran over and gripped my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes.

"Oh my go- America, is it really you?!"

Before I could respond, he pulled me into a deep, tender kiss. He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me as close to him as I could get. I, too, held onto him.

When we pulled back, I said, "You aren't real. This is another dream. You're supposed to be dead!"

"I know I am," Maxon said, **(A/N AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!)** "but I couldn't die without you near me."

Suddenly Maxon was crying. Crying with actual tears. "Oh God," he burrowed his face into my hair, "I thought you were dead!"

And then I was crying too.

Was this real? Probably not. Did I care? Not at all. All I cared about was being in his arms. It didn't occur to me at all to scold Maxon for not telling me he was alive.

"I thought you were dead. Don't ever scare me like that again Maxon Schreave. But...You thought I was dead? Why?" I said once we had stopped crying and were just holding each other and rocking back and forth.

"Trapp told me that if we didn't give him the secrets- the diaries- he would kill you. It's been over a week, and Father refused to comply. And another reason, but not right now."

"But- but on the Report t-they said you were dead!"

"That's a long story, one I don't want to go into right now. Ju- Just please, tell me; you're real, right?"

"Of course, Maxon."

"Uuhhh, I really hate interrupt you guys, but..." T coughed awkwardly.

Oops. I had forgotten he was there. He was standing awkwardly next to us, staring in a mix of awe and utter shock. Eyes-poppin'-outta-your-head kind of shock.

"America, who is this?" Maxon said warily, looking at T.

"This is T Lang. He's been taking care of me," I said.

"T Lang?!"

I gave him a confused look. "Yeah?"

Suddenly Maxon launched himself at T. He punched T's face, making me shout, "Maxon! What the crap?!"

"America, this man is a Rebel! I've no idea why he didn't kill you when you were alone. He's the co-leader of the Southern Rebels!"

"No," I said, helping T stand up, "he's not."

Maxon rubbed his knuckles and glared at T. "Are you sure?"

"One thousand percent positive. T, are you alright?"

"Just a little bruised is all, Mer." Maxon stiffened a little as T called me Mer.

"You have a black eye! Oh my gosh!"

"I'm fine," he turned to Maxon, "So this is the famous Prince Maxon. It is a pleasure to meet you."

T bowed, and held out his hand. Maxon ignored it.

"So, Your Princeliness, **(A/N SHOUT OUT TO MY LEVIA-HOMIES!)** will you tell me now what the other reason is you thought I was dead?" I said, turning back to Maxon.

His eyes clouded as he choked, "The Rebels... They released photographs of a dead body- your body- and put them on TV. They said that we were too late, that you were already gone."

I guess T and I missed that episode.

"I... I don't know how to respond," I gaped.

"You just did," T murmured under his breath.

"Oh, America," Maxon said. The tears were back, "I thought you were gone!"

We hugged again as T politely excused himself. Once T was out of the room, Maxon pulled me into a desperate kiss. A long, loving kiss.

Panting slightly when we pulled apart, "I had dreams- nightmares, usually- about you."

"Oh really?" He said while stroking my hair, "What happened in them?"

"There was one where you were my reflection. You were saying things like you love me and that death couldn't stop our love, but then..." I trailed off.

"But then what, dear?" he said.

"But then the mirror shattered, and you were gone!" I started crying again, so I buried my face in his shoulder.

"Ah! Could you use the other shoulder please? That hurts quite a bit."

Instead of going to the other shoulder, I pulled back a little so I could look Maxon in the eye. "What's wrong with it?"

He sighed. "That's a long story..."

**UMMM... YEAH. ASK CHOCOVIAN ABOUT MAXON'S RETURN. SHE KNOWS ALL ABOUT IT.**

***FLEES THE ROOM***


	16. Chapter 16: Through the Past: Part One

**HELLO MY DEARIES. IT'S BEEN AWHILE.**

**IF I OFFENDED YOU IN ANYWAY BY NOT POSTING SOONER, I HAVE ONE THING TO SAY:**

**GO OUTSIDE.**

**WELL, ANYWAYS, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF MAXON AND AMERICA'S REUNION. TOO SAPPY? NOT SAPPY ENOUGH? WELL, EITHER WAY, I CANNOT CHANGE A THING, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT REALLY HAPPENED.**

**YOU GUYS THINK I'M LYING? MAXON HIMSELF TOLD ME HIS VERSION, AND THEN AMERICA. WE LIKE TO HAVE TEA TOGETHER. OKAY, MILK, BUT YA GET IT? TEA?**

MAXON

"You see, after you had been taken-"

**(A/N WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH. FIRST WE NEED TO BACK UP A LITTLE. REWIND!)**

I could feel the life seep out of me.

Almost.

Out of nowhere, someone slapped my cheek. I shot out of unconsciousness immediately.

"Nope. You got a girl who'll be wantin' ya in good shape. No bucket kickin' here, today. Not with a'me, a'no sirr-ee."

A new voice. Old. Touch of insanity. Our medical personnel, I presume.

The man, Fred Olde, began jabbing at me, poking me, hitting my sides. I couldn't tell what he was doing at all.

"Will he be alright, Olde?" Kenai asked.

"Probably. It was only his shoulder, after all. Not too entirely vital. However, it might be infected, so we's gonna have to be reeaalll careful now, ya hear?"

Woah. Talk about Southern.

I tried to sit up, but as I did, the world slanted sharply, and my head felt like it was going to implode. Jamming my palm to my forehead, I shook it off.

"Kenai, Olde, where'd the plane go down? Who all survived?" I said.

"Sir," Kenai said, "there were two casualties, and one death. The casualties were Officers Rider and Leger. The death..." He gulped.

"Who was it Kenai? Who died?" I said warily. This didn't sound good.

"Your father."

My vision tunneled. Wh... What? My father, King Clarkson, was dead? On one hand, I should be devastated. He was my father, after all. And I would have to takeover as king sooner than expected. On the other hand, he was abusive and angry and mean. He would never approve of America and I together, never did, never has, never will.i guess now that wasn't an issue.

I felt guilty as crap for thinking that.

"Are you sure it was my father, Kenai?"

"Absolutely positive, sir."

"Call me Maxon," I mumbled as I laid back down from a combination of pain and confusion.

If only he'd let me trick the Rebels into thinking they had the diaries. This whole thing could have been avoided.

"Now, Your Highness, I'm gonna put you under some medicine, you hear? You'll be asleep for awhile, a day at the most. I need to mess with your shoulder. Ready?" Olde said, prepping a large needle to be put into my arm.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," I muttered. Sharp pain.

Blackness.

The next thing I knew, I saw a blurry, star filled sky. No, no, scratch that. I saw a roof. A ceiling. The stars were my mind's sleepy eyes waking up.

I was in my room. At the palace. Did I miss something?

"Ugh, finally, you're awake! Sheesh, you've been asleep forever!" said a young voice.

"What did you say, Ollie? How long have I been asleep?" I asked. This particular little boy's name was Oliver Grahm, but I called him Ollie. He was one of my best friends, even though he worked in the stables.

His hair the style of the teenager he was, he swished it away from his eyes. "They told me you passed out at about three yesterday and it's almost midnight."

"So they brought everyone from the plane? Including the injured and," I gulped, "the dead?"

"Yep."

I laid back down and thought about this whole ordeal. Stupid Trapp, stupid diaries, stupid Illeá. All of this happened because those three things came together and stole America.

A sudden realization and sinking feeling ripped through me. It's been three whole days. I failed. America's dead.

"What's wrong, Max?" Ollie said, using his pet name for me.

I realized I was crying. "It's been three days!" I wailed, my head in my hands from grief.

Ollie's expression sobered. "Since your girl was taken. Sterling told me what Trapp said about three days... I'm so sorry, buddy."

He came over and gave me a side hug. I leaned into it and cried into his shoulder.

My dear, my America... No more. She was the most amazing person I've ever met, and, just like that, she was snuffed, gone, poof! No more kisses. No more close spaces that felt unbelievably comforting. No more 'I love you's...

Once I calmed down enough to where I could comprehend patterns of speech, Ollie informed me of what had been going on since being put under.

"They told the media I'd been killed?!"

Ollie nodded. "They made it so that you died in the attack, not King Clarkson. One told me why. He said that they had a plan, to attack the Base again. Somehow it requires you dead. And then coming alive, of course."

Thoughts flooded my mind. What would America think when she found out I was 'dead'? Sadness and bitterness struck me again as I realized that she was dead, and I would never know what she thought.

"Where's Kenai?"

"You mean Officer Igern? He's been stuck with the task of guarding your room."

"Would you call him in? I must speak to him," I said, lying back down.

Ollie began to leave. As he did, I couldn't stop myself from feeling sad. America was dead. There, I said it, and I'll never say it again without dying on the inside.

Kenai showed up seconds later.

"You're awake! Good. We need to start preparing for our next attack."

"Kenai, d- do you know what happened to America?"

Kenai looked at me sadly. "You might want to see this."

I followed Kenai out of my room and down to the area where the _Report_ was filmed.

He turned it on, and began a recorded video. It was the regular show at first, Gavril talking animatedly about something that I could care less about. But then the screen flickered and showed a face. Trapp's face.

"Hello Illeá. How are you? It's good to see you. I'm Stephen Trapp. I am the co-leader of the Southern Rebels. Let me introduce you to my dear, dear friend. Her name is Lady America Singer, one of the Selected and the Elite."

My vision tunneled. The camera pointed away from Trapp and rested on a body on the ground. It was still. The black stone ground was wet and dark. The body was moaning ever so slightly, rolling so it was lying on its back. A long red dress was draped on her body. America's dress.

"I'm so sorry it came to this. But you did not comply. We gave you three days time, and you did not comply with our terms. Say goodbye."

I nearly choked as they zoomed in on the ground. I heard a gunshot, a scream, and water dropping from the roof.

The camera went back up. America was even more limp than before. A gigantic blood pool had collected around her head.

Knowing she was dead, I'd been sad, devastated. Seeing her death, I was absolutely mad with grief.

I fell to my knees, crying. Kenai seemed sad, too. He tried to comfort me, but nothing could console me.

"There you are Illeá. Good day."

The video returned back to the regular programming. Gavril was sitting on his stool with a shocked and tragic expression.

Kenai stopped the video.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Maxon " Kenai said, comforting me.

"That was the worst thing I've ever seen," I told him.

Not only was it terrible that my dear had been murdered so brutally, it was that Trapp was so _calm_. So utterly unfazed that he'd taken away my love.

When I was done, I said to Kenai, "Alright, what's the plan?"


	17. Chapter 17: Through the Past: Part Two

**LET US CONTINUE OUR TREK THROUGH THE PAST, DEARIES. WHAT'D YOU THINK OF PART ONE?**

**DON'T WORRY, IT'LL LIGHTEN UP SOON. AMERICA AND MAXON REUNITE, YEA!**

**LET'S MAKE A DEAL, 'KAY? EVERY TIME I WRITE THE WORDS "THROUGH THE PAST" YOU HAVE TO SHOUT OUT PART TWO. GET IT? GOT IT? GOOD.**

MAXON

Training had been... Not as brutal as I thought, actually.

For anyone else, it would have been one of the hardest things to do in their life. For me, the physical pain was just as bad. But it hardly registered in my mind. With America gone, I had a new reason to fight.

My workouts lasted for about four hours a day, for five days. Today, we were attacking the Base again.

"Ready, Kenai?" I asked. Stepping into the new plane, I straightened my coat and tie.

Kenai was in the pilot's seat with his headset on. He flipped switches and absently replied, "Yes, sir."

I rolled my eyes at "sir".

I settled into my position as co-pilot and strapped myself in. As soon as I was set, we took off.

There was meaningless conversation. The deaths of two very important people were still heavy on everyone's minds, so we all mostly sat in uncomfortable silence.

Until I broke it.

"You there, in the back!" I shouted, pointing to a random soldier.

A young man who looked to be only fourteen, but had to be about eighteen, with blonde hair and a nervous stare stood up at my command.

"Yes, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Cut the formalities. Everyone, call me Maxon! And you. What is your name?"

The boy stuttered, "Jay Stringer."

"Jay... I have one question and one question only for you."

"Wh... What is it?" he replied nervously.

"What," I asked, "is your favorite color?"

Jay looked surprised, relieved, and, most of all, confused. "Come again?"

"What's your favorite color?"

"Red, si- Maxon."

I pointed to another person and asked what his name was. He told me that his name was Dylan Sun. By now, I'm fairly certain that my soldiers thought I'd gone insane. I mean, I had a reason. I'd lost the love of my life to vicious murderers. But I was merely trying to lighten the mood, no matter the manner.

"What is your favorite hobby?" I shouted while laughing maniacally.

Okay, maybe I'd gone a little crazy.

"Um... I like long walks on the beach?"

"Excellent choice!" I shouted.

"Uh, Maxon," someone said pulling at my shoulder.

"Yes, Kenai?"

"Are you alright? I mean... You're acting a little crazy."

"I was just thinking how I know nothing about you guys, and yet, you are the people I trust my life to. It seems as though we should be friends."

Kenai's look softened. "She really rubbed off on you."

I looked through the window separating me from the icy wind. "There it is! The Pentagon!"

In all its glory, there was the Southern Rebel Base.

"We're headed down, sir," Kenai said.

"Excellent. Now," I said, addressing my audience, "do you all know the plan?"

There was a chorus of yeses. But still, "We are to jump down like before. Surround the building. I am dressed like you so I may hide alongside you. We will attack when the signal is given. I'll make my way inside and kill Trapp. It's best if you see any Rebels, disarm them. If they are attacking, kill. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they said in deep, military tones.

"Call me flipping Maxon! Goodness!" I shouted.

"Yes, Flipping Maxon."

I put my palm against my face in annoyance. But instead of ranting on them, I grabbed my parachute, as did my soldiers. We jumped.

The air felt amazing against my stress-worn face. As I neared the ground and someone steered the plane into the woods, I went through landing procedure and hit the ground running.

Once everyone was down, we quietly jogged over to the Pentagon, surrounding it. The signal would be given when the area was clear of Rebels.

As we waited quietly, I thought of my home. It was in shambles. All the girls from the Selection had left, I think. I was dead, wasn't I? So they didn't need to stay. My mother... How was she? She had lost my father, and was on the verge of losing me. I felt awful. I couldn't leave her like this. But America had left me...

I saw the signal, a blue flag in the trees. I held out two fingers as a signal to Kenai that I'd seen the signal. He passed down the sign, and after ten seconds, we'd all seen it.

With a quiet roar, we charged into the Pentagon through holes in the wall and doors.

Kenai stuck by me, ready to protect me at a second's notice. The other men left to patrol other areas, looking for anything and anyone that might be useful.

Out of nowhere, Kenai and I heard footsteps.

"Get back," Kenai hissed, raising his gun towards the noise.

"No." I stood directly beside him, I sheathing my knife-sword.

In the quiet wait, I heard a yell as so done launched at me from behind. I cried out in surprise, and then pain as the Rebel tried to beat me.

There was a shot, and suddenly the man was lying limp on top of me. Covered in blood.

He was dead by Kenai's hand.

"Thank you," I said breathlessly.

"He was attacking. I'm just following orders, sir," he smiled.

We continued walking through the dull halls, looking for Trapp's office.

We found ten minuts later after two more scuffles and dozens by other soldiers.

"Hello, Maxon. We meet again. How is your girl, What's-Her-Face? America?" Trapp asked as he swiveled around in his chair. You could almost see the cat he should be stroking.

I gritted my teeth. This was not a good place to be reminded of her death. "Dead."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is she? I didn't kill her myself like I was supposed to, but I guess T had other plans for her."

What? "There was a video... A video with you in it... Killing her. It was on the Report."

"I don't remember such a thing. Perhaps someone took footage of an old killing and dressed it to make it look as if I were murdering America," he said, pondering.

This, of all things, had not occurred to me. But now was not the time to think about it. Now was time to kill Trapp.

I launched myself at him, holding out the knife. I was quick and almost got him, but he stopped me and kicked me in the groin.

Drat it, why is it always there?!

"I sense that you should leave before I murder your mother too. You've likely killed half of my forces. Destroy us later. Right now, I shall spare you. Because you are grieving. And that is the worst torture I could possibly give you, and this was the best piece to take: your lover," Trapp spat in my face as he pinned me.

He left the room. I wish I could have gone after him to rip out his tongue, but I was so tired, so in pain, so lost, I just couldn't bring myself to.

"Come on, sir, let's go before we lose too many souls," Kenai said, dragging me out of the room. We ran, calling to each of our own soldiers to run with us. They followed, doing the same.

By the time we reached the plane, I discovered we had left no one behind. "Alright, men, get in the plane. We'll discuss everything there!"

They filed into the plane as the wind blew leaves and dust into our faces. The Pentagon seemed almost like it had ignored our presence. His strange...

Once in the air, I turned to my crew. "So... My mission was unsuccessful. Trapp was not killed, so we will have to go back for a final attack. I want a status report on the number of Rebels killed and injured.

Each man came up to me and told me how many Rebels they'd fought and/or killed. The grand total was seventy-two.

"Wow. That's about half their force," Kenai said over my shoulder.

So many people lost all because of a difference of opinion, or lack of resources, or whatever it was. That was so depressing.

We reached the palace in no time, and the walked the halls looking for my mother. I came upon the Women's Room that was virtually untouched among all the disorganization. I looked inside and gasped.

A girl with messy red hair, a body just like America's...

As I rushed forward, one million thoughts flew through my head. Trapp said that he hadn't killed her. This could be her! Oh, please let it be her...

I turned her around to see her face. The second my eyes met hers, I knew, it was America.

**ALRIGHT GUYS, I KNOW I HAVEN'T BEEN POSTING NEARLY AS OFTEN AS I SHOULD, BUT I'VE BEEN DRAINED LATELY. AND MAXON'S POV CAN BE HARD! SO GIVE ME TIME, AND, HOPEFULLY, WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS STORY WITH NO HARD FEELINGS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS!**

**I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND...**

**THROUGH THE PAST!**

**YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT YOU DIDN'T YELL OUT "PART TWO!"**


	18. Chapter 18: Triangle (Of a Kind)

AMERICA

"And that brings us to now," Maxon said, smiling as he finished the tale of what he'd been up to for the past week or so.

"You know," T said, stepping back into the room now that we were done, "I could hear every word out there. Not exactly sound proof, that door. And my eye still really hurts, Maxy."

My eyes were wide, I could feel it. This was a lot to process. King Clarkson was dead, which would result in an earlier coronation for Maxon... Somebody put out a video of my "death." At least Maxon loved me, and so blatantly so.

"You've been busy," I said. I really didn't know what to say.

T snorted and said, "Bye, Mer." He started leaving.

"Where are you going?!" I ran after him, Maxon following me.

"I said I would drop you off and leave when you didn't need me anymore. I'm done here. It was a pleasure to... Work with you?" he paused, "Hang with you? Whatever. Hasta luego, lassy!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm as he started leaving. "T, come on, you can't leave me! You promised!"

"We already discussed this! Now let me go!"

My hand stayed tightly on his arm. T glared at me, his left eye throbbing. Maxon intervened. "America, I actually agree with T. He should leave."

"And why is that?" I asked.

"I... I don't want to share you. I know, it's pretty selfish, but I want you all to myself," Maxon said, blushing.

I blushed too. "You don't have to share me. T is my best friend, basically like a brother really. I don't want him to leave. Like you made me think you did."

"Ugh," T moaned and shrugged off my arm. "I'll stay until Trapp is dead. Happy?"

"Yes," I smiled.

"One condition, though."

"Of course," I said, suspicious.

"I sleep as close to America's room as appropriate. I'm here to protect her and be her friend. That's all," T said to Maxon.

Maxon pondered for a moment, slightly stricken by T's requests. "I," he began, "shall sleep the closest. You may, however, have the room next to hers. That is, if she is okay with these terms, of course."

The boys turned to look at me. My two favorite boys my age.

"Where will you sleep, Maxon?" I asked.

"On the floor or wherever you see fit," he said, the hint of a smirk gracing his face.

"Alright. As long as my two favorite boys besides Gerad are close at hand, I'm okay."

"I don't know about you, Mer, but I want to go to sleep right now. And it is almost time to sleep," T said, yawning and pointing to the darkening sky out the window.

Maxon eyed T warily. "Yes... I shall escort you to your room, America. Come with me." I looped my arm through his and he led me to the room I would stay in.

"Hey, I'm still sleeping next door!" T shouted. He came running after us.

"Here you are. I'll be right back. I need to... discuss something. With my mother," Maxon said. He left down the hall.

"Sooo... How's life?" T asked awkwardly.

"You know," I said, "I've gotten used to sharing a bed with you. It's going to be weird sleeping by myself."

"I think Maxon can help with that," T grinned evilly, waggling his eyebrows.

"Gross, T," I punched his arm playfully.

"What?" he asked, seemingly innocent.

"You know what I mean," I laughed.

He eyed me warily, like he was going to say something, but instead came forward and hugged me. I hugged back.

"I'm glad you found your prince, Mer. Goodnight." He turned around and walked into the bedroom next to mine.

I could hear him grumble through the walls, "Aw, man, this is a chick room!"

"Sorry," Maxon said, as he jogged back. "I needed to tell her you're here. She was very excited. She says hey, by the way."

"Come on." I dragged him inside.

"What did T say while I was gone?" he asked, grabbing some pillows and a blanket from the closet.

"I told him that'd I'd gotten used to..." I trailed off, blushing slightly as I thought about how Maxon would perceive the phrase.

"To what...?" Maxon said, scared of the answer.

"Sleeping with him," I murmured.

His eyes widened and looked shocked and hurt. "What?!"

"We shared the bed. There was only one, so we had to," I promised.

"Nothing happened, right?" Maxon pleaded.

Hmm... I was at a crossroads. Should I tell him the truth that nothing had happened. Or should I toy with him a little?

The eviler part of me won.

"Ummm..." I said, forcing myself to blush.

"Oh God... This is... Wow," Maxon looked defeated and pulverized, like he'd lost a battle and the other guy came over to kick his groin. And ended up ripping his soul out. And kicking him in the groin. Thrice.

"You are so gullible," I laughed, "Nothing happened. Nothing will. I couldn't, can't, stop thinking about you."

Maxon's face was swallowed in relief. He came forward and kissed me roughly. Leaning his forehead against mine, he said, "Don't ever joke like that again."

I gave him a quick peck and said, "Of course."

I went into the bathroom to change. When I came out, Maxon was laid uncomfortably in his pajamas on his make-shift bed.

I sighed. "Come up here." I sat on my bed.

He gave me a confused look. "Shouldn't I-"

"Maxon, I've missed you just come up here. But you will keep you're distance," I laughed, letting him know that I wasn't entirely serious on that last part.

He looped his arms around me and laid down beside me. As soon as my head touched the pillows, I was out like a-

MAXON

-light. She looked like light. Being away from her was like darkness, she was my light.

With her finally in my arms, I could rest peacefully.

T

My room next to America's is a chick's. Not sure which chick. Just a chick.

It looked like a maid's room, kinda. Did they even have maids' rooms up here?

"Aah!" a girlish scream behind me sang.

I turned to see a young woman, dressed in a maid's attire, about my age. She was screaming and shaking.

"What's wrong?" I asked coming closer. She cowered away from my outstretched hand.

"Don't hurt me, please!" she shouted, covering her face.

"Why would I hurt you?" I asked calmly.

"Because... Because, you're- you're a Rebel!" she screeched, crying.

Her screams had to have alerted someone. But no one came.

"I'm not a Rebel, lass, I promise. I'm here as the friend of Lady America," I told her. She calmed down for the most part, but then eyed me warily.

"Alright. Prove it."

I went over to America's room, knocked on the door, and barged in when no one answered.

I found America asleep in her bed, with Maxon's arms wrapped tightly around her waist. The maid-girl followed me in, and couldn't help smiling when she saw America and Maxon together.

"America," I whispered, nudging her shoulder. After a week or so of conditioning, she easily awoke at my touch.

"Hey T," she said drowsily, "What's up?"

"Would you please prove to her," I said, pointing at the maid, "that I'm your friend?"

America's eyes widened. She sat up a little, making Maxon stir, and said, "Lucy?!"

"Yes, miss. It's me," she smiled, tears filling her eyes.

"Oh my gosh! I've missed you so much!" America said. She ran out of her bed and tackled Lucy, both crying and hugging and asking questions.

"Okay, I believe you," Lucy said through the sniffles and hiccups.

Maxon shot up as soon as his subconscious realized America was gone. "America?!" he shouted worriedly.

"I'm right here, Maxon. Don't worry," America said, leaning down and kissing his cheek. I could tell that Maxon wanted more than a kiss on the cheek, but America was too emotional right now.

"Lucy, we'll have to talk more in the morning. I'm so tired. Goodn-" she fell onto the bed.

Maxon looked panicked. He checked her pulse before he actually reacted. "She's just sleeping."

"Goodnight!" I said, leaving the room. Lucy followed suit, but not before making sure that Maxon and America were safely in each other's arms.

"What were you doing in my room?" Lucy asked once I closed the door behind her.

"Maxon told me to crash there. But don't worry, I'll find somewhere else to sleep," I said.

"See you in the morning... What's your name?" she asked.

I noticed how pretty her hair looked. How dazzling her smile was. The sparkle of her eyes. She looked... like an angel in maid's clothes.

"Call me T," I smiled and walked away, finding new room.

** I FOUND SOMEONE FOR T, I FOUND SOMEONE FOR T! I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, BUT IF YOU DIDN'T, SIMPLY LEAVE A SUGGESTION IN THE BOX MARKED "TRASH". I'LL GET TO THOSE AS SOON AS I CAN. (WHICH IS NEVER.)**

**ANYWHO, HOW'VE YOU GUYS BEEN? I TALKED TO MY SCHOOL LIBRARIAN THE OTHER DAY, AND SHE SAID THAT SHE LOVED THIS BOOK, AND WE BOTH AGREED THE FIRST ONE'S BETTER AND THAT WE'RE TEAM MAXON. THAT WAS AWESOME. IT MADE MY DAY.**


	19. Chapter 19: Tucy

**I'M SO SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T POSTED IN OVER A MONTH. THAT'S WAY TOO LONG, SO I APOLOGIZE. I'VE JUST BEEN SO BUSY WITH SCHOOL AND SWIM AND CLUBS AND OTHER WRITING AND DRAWING AND- I NEED TO LEARN TO SAY NO, HUH?**

AMERICA

Through the next couple days, two things happened: we planned for Trapp's demise, and everyone's relations grew. By that, I mean everyone fell just a couple more steps in love. Maxon and I, T and Lucy.

"With my father gone, it is my duty to see Trapp dead!" Maxon said during one of our meetings with the captains and strategists.

"As the heir to the throne, you cannot risk bring caught or killed!" Sterling shot back.

Maxon looked over at me and bore his eyes into Sterling. "I'm not going to risk anyone else's life."

"But that's their job."

"No matter. He took too many things from me. He shall die by my hand," Maxon said stubbornly, crossing his arms.

"May I interject?" T asked, holding onto Lucy's arm as he looked down at a map.

"Certainly," I said.

"As I was previously a mole inside the Southern Base, I think I'd be of use in killing Trapp."

At this point, we were fairly certain that Trapp knew that T was on our side. I mean, he's been gone for almost... Two weeks? Three? The day I'd been kidnapped was so far off in the past...

"But what if you're killed?" Lucy said to T, worried.

I'm so happy for them. Lucy needed a new love, as did T, and they had finally found one in each other. Over the past few days since their meeting, they'd been spending almost every second they could together. Last night, I caught them kissing outside of Lucy's bedroom door. I just smiled and went to see Maxon. Despite the teasing I could have done, I might add.

"No matter. I have to do this."

I knew that killing Trapp was important to both Maxon and T. Trapp indirectly killed T's best friend, Teddy. But he also indirectly killed Maxon's father... Who abused Maxon... But he killed hundreds of people, Maxon's people. So...

"Maybe I could?" I proposed. If I could stop my boys from getting hurt, I would take any means necessary.

"No!" Maxon immediately shouted. "I'm not going to lose you again!"

My eyes nearly watered up. I loved him so much...

Love?! Yes, love.

"Neither of you are going out there," T said, motioning to Lucy and I.

"Perhaps I?" asked Kenai.

"No! None of you!" Maxon said, frustrated. "Well, maybe T, but..." he murmured.

"We'll do it together then," T said with an air of finality that even an angry woman could not sway.

"But- " Sterling interjected.

"No. It's settled. T and I shall use whatever means necessary to bring Trapp to his end," Maxon said, staring him straight in the face.

Sterling looked around the room, first at Maxon, then T, then Lucy, then Kenai, and finally me. "You- You can't be serious!" he said.

"Oh," said Maxon, "but I am."

"I'm going with you," I blurted.

"N- " Maxon started.

"If you want to kill Trapp, I'm coming with you. Or else."

"Or else what?" He thought I was bluffing? Hmph.

"Or else... I'll..." I looked around the room, hoping for something to use against him. I found Kenai. "I'll run away with Kenai!"

Maxon's face became ashen with literal fear. Kenai put his hands up defensively and said, "Leave me out of this."

"Fine. You can come," Maxon consented, "but you have to stay hidden and safe. No schemes or stunts, okay?"

I smiled. "Yes."

"I'm coming too!" shouted Lucy as we all started to leave the room.

"No, you can't, please, you might get hurt- " T started begging Lucy.

"I'm coming. I'm not risking you getting hurt," she said firmly.

T looked at the carpet in thought. It seemed as thought it really hurt him to let her go. My goodness, he is so in love...

"Fine. But you have to stay COMPLETELY safe. You and America both," he consented.

"Thank you," Lucy pecked T on the cheek. A crimson blush painted his cheeks and the beginnings of a goofy smile began to spread.

We all left the room. Maxon and I lingered, T and Lucy quickly passing us. Maxon looked at me sadly. I couldn't read much. Why would he be so sad?

"Please don't come," he asked. He came forward and wrapped his arms around my mid-back, his breath tickling my ear.

"Maxon," I said, hugging him back, "why are you so sad?"

He sighed. "When you were gone and thought dead, it was like the life had been sucked from the world. I was always so depressed. I was crying. I nearly went insane on a plane... Don't ask. The point is, I was devastated and at the point where I didn't feel like living. If... If that happened again-" he closed his eyes and started choking back sobs- "I don't ink I could live."

My grip on him tightened. "Oh, Maxon. I felt the same way when I thought you were dead. And that's why I'm going. To see to it that you're safe."

He buried his face in my shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

"Please don't go. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't go to the Pentagon with me," he begged.

I looked in his eyes. His desperation was pouring out into water and that was leaking out of his eyes. I wiped at his eyes and said, "If it'll make you happy."

"Really?"

"Yepskerdoodles."

His lips crashed against mine, and his arms held me tighter than I thought possible. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Oh poor Maxon. Doesn't he know a woman's always got a loophole?


End file.
